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Subscription TV Hits Record High While Video Streaming and Sports Betting Slip Despite Product Improvements, ACSI Data ShowThe entertainment industry that consumers spent a decade abandoning now posts the strongest customer satisfaction gains of any measured in this year's study. According to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI®) Entertainment Study 2026, subscription TV service reaches its highest score since ACSI began measuring the industry, climbing 3% to an ACSI score of 72 (on a scale of 0-100) as every customer experience benchmark improves year over year. Video streaming service slips 1% to 77, and online sports betting and iGaming falls 3% to 74, even as both industries post improvements across content, platform performance, and app quality. Social media rises 1% to 75, the industry's highest score since ACSI began measuring it in 2010, and audio streaming service debuts at 80, the highest industry score of the five. The results arrive during a period of rising subscription costs and mounting consumer fatigue. Deloitte's 2026 Digital Media Trends survey found that 73% of streaming consumers are frustrated with rising prices, around 40% cancel at least one paid service each year, and 61% say they would cancel their favorite service if monthly costs rose by just $5. The average subscribing household spends $69 per month on four streaming video services. "Content and technology improved across the board this year, yet in most of these industries, satisfaction still declined or barely moved. That's because a better product is the baseline now; it doesn't move the needle," said Forrest Morgeson, Associate Professor of Marketing at Michigan State University and Director of Research Emeritus at the ACSI. "What moves satisfaction is making the whole experience simpler. Fewer accounts, easier billing, less time managing subscriptions. Subscription TV figured that out. Video streaming and sports betting are still adding features while customers are asking for less complexity. Until that changes, more features won't translate into higher satisfaction." Other key takeaways from the study include: Video Streaming Service
Audio Streaming Service
Online Sports Betting and iGaming
Social Media
The ACSI Entertainment Study 2026 is based on 30,886 completed surveys. Customers were chosen at random and contacted via email between July 2025 and June 2026, with a shortened period for audio streaming service to establish a baseline for future measurement. Download the full study and follow the ACSI on LinkedIn. No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the data and information in this release without the express prior written consent of ACSI LLC. About the ACSI The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI®) is a national economic indicator and a leading provider of customer analytics products that help organizations build lasting customer relationships and prove ROI on experience investments. ACSI's AI-enhanced platform delivers intuitive dashboards and cause-and-effect analytics that pinpoint the quality drivers most predictive of customer allegiance, retention, price tolerance, and financial performance. ACSI data has been shown to correlate strongly with key micro and macroeconomic indicators, including consumer spending, GDP growth, earnings, and stock returns. Founded in 1994 at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business, the ACSI measures customer satisfaction with more than 400 companies in over 40 industries, including federal government services, based on approximately 200,000 annual interviews. Learn more at https://www.theacsi.com/. ACSI and its logo are Registered Marks of American Customer Satisfaction Index LLC.
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